In collaboration with the Indiana University Office of the Bicentennial, IU Northwest will host the education conference, “Exploring Partnerships for the Future,” set for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, March 29 in the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, located in the Savannah Center. The conference is free and open to the public.
The conference will provide campus and community stakeholders with an opportunity to explore the pressing concerns of the region, related to educational access and achievement, and community-based partnerships as potential solutions. The conference, which will include presentations, workshops and a luncheon, is part of IU Northwest’s observance of IU’s Bicentennial, a multi-year, multi-campus program, which includes a series of signature projects intended to reflect on IU’s past and look to the future as IU marks 200 years in 2020.
Author and prominent national media critic to provide keynote
The conference highlight will be a luncheon keynote address by Eric Deggans, a Gary native and IU alumnus, who is a veteran journalist, National Public Radio television critic, and Chair of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors. Deggans will discuss his book, “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.”
Local organizations participating in the conference include: the City of Gary, the Gary Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, Ivy Tech Community College, the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence, and St. John Baptist Church (Gary).
“From after-school enrichment activities to early education initiatives and innovative career and college preparatory programs, we know that there are incredible organizations and individuals working hard to improve educational outcomes in Northwest Indiana,” said James Wallace, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. “We are looking forward to hearing from these colleagues and learning about what they are doing with a statewide audience committed to improving lives through education.”
At the luncheon during the conference, the campus will recognize community members who have advanced the cause of diversity and inclusion by awarding its annual diversity awards. To find out more information on how to nominate campus and community members for this honor, visit iun.edu/diversity/forms/awards-nomination.htm
The conference is a collaboration of the IU Northwest Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs and the School of Education, as well as the IU Office of the Bicentennial, and the Legacy Foundation.
For more information, or to register for the conference, visit iun.edu/diversity/new-events/index.htm. Or, contact James Wallace at jamewall@iun.edu or 219-980-6596.
